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How is MIDI in for everyone on iOS?
Hey guys! So I just got a MIDISport UNO off eBay and connected it to my iTrack Dock (so I can route MIDI from my desktop sequencer to synths on the iPad) and it works!
Kinda.
Getting a lot of stuck notes, certainly past the point of it being usable. On one track it only happens occasionally. But with three or more it's just a mess.
Interestingly, MIDI out seems to work fine (I can trigger Reason synths with Fugue Machine and nothing appears to be getting stuck).
Is this iOS being wonderful again, or the dock?
Comments
Quick update to this; tested with UNO on its own and it's flawless. Dammit.
Aaand another update, still getting stuck notes but not at the same rate.
Seriously about ready to give up on this iPad music thing. At least in this context. Way too much hassle. Come on Apple...
you're likely bashing the wrong guy: first of all there's the iTack Dock between your PC and the UNO, connected by DIN plugs, before Midi reaches IOS.
Stuff like that can go horribly wrong - I have it myself atm with an old PCI card that used to work flawless for years, but all of a sudden turned the DIN connection into a total mess.
(way beyond missing note offs)
Aside from cable damage the most common source of trouble is failing of the optocoupler circuits which drive the DIN plug.
Sometimes couplers simply don't seem to 'match' between some gear, it depends on a small amount of current flowing.
I use Studiomux between iPad and Mac without any problem. Cheap and simple
I've been using midi in via USB devices and a unbranded USB to MIDI converter for a couple of years, and not really had any great issues that were caused by the hardware.
And/Or come on Focusrite.
Yeah it is looking like it could be the Focusrite. I mean the UNO still hangs now and then, but I remember my Sound Canvas days with PCI audio/MIDI interfaces and it used to happen occasionally even then so shrugs. Overall I'd say it's like 99% better.
I've sent a support request but I'm not sure what they can do for me. I feel like the final step/piece of the puzzle will be to invest in a second audio interface just for the iPad. I've already got the CCK, so I can charge while I work. Might just get another Komplete Audio 6, then I can hook the DINs up between them, and have a full set of I/O (guitar/mic/line/SPDIF). There's a second one in the house I can borrow to test it.
Just a bit frustrated I guess. It's like the people who make all this stuff (software and hardware) don't seem to test them in actual real world scenarios. Like nobody wondered "hey what would happen if I did this super commonplace thing". It's up to us to find out at our own expense.
And not just talking about the dock. Even the myriad of problems we have with software. Like no-one at Fingerlab actually opened DM1 and Cubasis and noticed MIDI doesn't get sent there when selected. Nobody at Arturia opened iMini and realised it murders the rest of your session. Etc. etc.
Anyway enough experimentation for today. I'll see how the dual audio interface thing goes later. Might be the way forward.
Or - come on M-Audio....
From a quick look the iTrack Dock only has USB midi, so does your (Windows?) PC have a midi card you are connecting to? With all due respect, that's a lot of places for potential errors to be hiding...
How old is your PC/midi interface? Perhaps there's a clock/baud rate issue between the midisport and the internal card. Sometimes there may be options for the internal card to adjust this.
Have you tested the internal card with another device, like a stand alone synth (via the DINs)?
Maybe reseat the midi card? Maybe check for dust or goo in the female DIN sockets?
Sometimes hung notes indicate midi echo. Since you say the PC receives midi ok, can you check that the PC is not listening (and/or the iPad is not transmitting) while you are playing back? Maybe try running MidiOX to monitor this... Or make sure the PC is transmitting on a separate channel than the iPad is...
It could be a setting in your PC DAW as well...
Hi,
I am working with Alesis IO Dock (1st generation) and it works great once you update the firmware to the latest available. Maybe Focusrite messed it up...In Alesis no lost note, latency, etc...
Sorry I might've created some confusion with regards to my old system. I haven't had a PCI interface (or a tower for that matter) for a long old time!
I use a Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6. It's not the newest interface out there but it's not ancient either. So at the moment, I'm going:
Sequencer data on laptop -> KA6 MIDI Out -> UNO -> Dock
Or, the setup that actually works is:
Sequencer data on laptop -> KA6 MIDI Out -> UNO -> CCK
I would say MIDI echo was a possibility if not for the fact that I can send notes from Reason 9 to Gadget over the UNO (almost) perfectly, but not with the Dock.
I will definitely grab a hold of a MIDI monitoring utility though, just to see what's going on. If there's some message that's being received that's screwing everything up.
Interesting Alex - I did consider the Alesis but I think I had concerns as to whether it would fit an Air 2? How many ins/outs can you run on it at a time? That's another limitation of the Dock I wasn't aware of until I got it; only 2 inputs, from any of the available 5. D'oh!
So, perhaps a little hasty in my blaming iOS MIDI.
Setup at the moment is laptop going into a UR22, sending DIN -> DIN of a Komplete Audio 6 on the iPad and so far, it's super solid. There's a tiny bit of latency as there always is with MIDI but that's something I can correct. I just played a 7 track sequence back at 999bpm and no stuck notes. So I guess I know what I need to do now!
An air 2 with its case fits ( i had to put some kind of porexpan thing in the lower part to make it fixed but that's all). Of course you need to have the Apple adaptor 30 pin to lightning if you have like me a 1st generation IO dock but must say it works great. There are only to audio INs and two audio outs that of course can run all at the same time ( you can record stereo). Regarding MIDI has one IN and one OUT ( not any MIDI THRU unfortunately.
On the left is the io dock 2, works great with an air 2 as well, just used some of the packing foam stuff to make it snug. Quite like it!
5 pin midi in and out, and usb midi in as well!
Nice setups guys! Really digging the white speakers btw. I might look into the IO Dock at some point. I mean for now I've still got the iTrack, and it's good for audio at least. Might even be able to put it to work with my old Mini, although that may be overkill haha.
I've got a UR44 coming tomorrow so the plan is that the KA6 officially becomes my Air 2's interface. Laptop uses the UR44. Then I can direct monitor things like Amplitube, or synths I'm running on my iPad/s and at least get MIDI into the Air 2 by 5-pin, going interface-to-interface. It's still not entirely without its hiccups, but I'm talking like the occasional skip/hiccup every 5 minutes of play time (and usually when I'm attempting to multi-task on the laptop; maybe I need to boost MIDI priority or something).
I might do a little video of it all set up and working tomorrow. It's really something.